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2009-2010 Season - 2009-10 MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING REVIEW

The Augustana men’s swimming team tallied 254.50 points to finish fifth at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championship Meet to close out the 2009-10 campaign. The Vikings showed improvement from one year ago when the squad scored 178 points and finished in sixth place. Carthage earned the team crown with 1,018.50 points, followed by Wheaton (777.50), and Rose-Hulman (539). Illinois Wesleyan was fourth with 467.50 points and Millikin took sixth with 190 points.

Senior Kyle Waller (DeKalb HS, DeKalb, Ill.) led the way with a pair of top 10 individual finishes. He was fifth in the 50 freestyle on the first day of competition and later came back with an eighth place showing in the 100 freestyle. Freshman Marcus Julian (Lake Park HS, Itasca, Ill.) also scored a couple finishes in the top 10, taking ninth in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 200 breaststroke. Freshman Chris Greaves (Morris HS, Morris, Ill.) added a ninth place finish in the 200 butterfly.

Waller, senior Eric Zike (Ridgeview HS, Colfax, Ill.), Julian, and Greaves were a force all weekend in the relay events, racking up four fifth place finishes along the way. The quartet of Vikings took fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 200 medley relay, and 400 freestyle relay. The best race of the bunch was the 200 medley relay where the group broke an eight year old school record in the event. Zike, Julian, Greaves, and Waller combined for a time of 1:38.64, erasing the old mark of 1:39.12. Sophomore Denny Wind (Downers Grove North HS, Downers Grove, Ill.), freshman Eric Pease (Sterling HS, Sterling, Ill.), and senior Jacob Glimco (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) were all part of a sixth place showing in the 800 freestyle relay.

Augustana finished second or third at all five invitational meets that it competed in this season. The Vikings were second at the Halloween Invitational, the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, and the Principia Invitational. The Blue & Gold added third place finishes at the nine-team Augustana Invitational and the eight team Grinnell Invitational.

Julian won the lone individual race at the season opening Halloween Invitational, grabbing top honors in the 200 breaststroke. Julian came back to win the 100 breaststroke at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational the following month. Sophomore Robert Flynn (Bartlett HS, Bartlett, Ill.) also had a successful day at the IWU Invite, winning the one meter diving event. Waller and Zike added titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly respectively.

Greaves stole the show at the two day Augustana Invitational, taking home three individual crowns. He won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle races and also claimed first place in the 200 butterfly. Flynn also won multiple events, taking home the title in the one meter dive and the three meter dive. Julian added a sixth individual victory for the Blue & Gold, racing to a win in the 100 breaststroke.

Glimco and Greaves were both individual winners in the final invitational of the year. Glimco won the 1650 freestyle at the Principia Invitational while Greaves notched a victory in the 500 freestyle. Greaves also joined with Zike, Julian, and Waller to earn a win in the 200 medley relay.

The Vikings were also 3-2 on the season in dual meets. Augustana defeated Millikin (124-78), Monmouth (114-105), and Coe (143-68). The team lost to Grinnell (87-204) and Loras (108-123).